homeless
By Mike Ashworth | December 2, 2009
This isn’t one of those pieces on the statistics of homelessness, in my eyes they are just numbers, things that many people will read and discard.
You can see the truth for yourself, late at night, those people sheltering in shop doorways, on benches and other such places. As we walk around in our thick coats, gloves, scarves and hats, complaining of the bitter cold, imagining what it must be like to be them.
The things that matter most are always close to home. This is about my Uncle, who chooses to be homeless.
He isn’t living some romantic dream of sleeping under the stars, God no. Last year he had all the toes on one of his feet removed (I believe the problem was Gangreen).
He is in Hospital again as I write this and has had some more toes removed from his other foot. The prognosis is that they may have to remove one of his legs.
From what I’ve been told it looks like he’ll probably go back to sleeping rough when he is discharged. This is despite the fact that their is accommodation available the moment he chooses to use it. A flat that is being kept going by the goodwill of others, only he chooses not to live there.
My worst fear is that he’ll die before he gets a chance to move in.
This Christmas, whilst we all consume like their is no tomorrow, I ask you to spare a thought for those people, who be it by choice or otherwise, are homeless.
I’m not ashamed to admit that I cried whilst writing this.
Topics: Family |
4 Responses to “homeless”
Comments
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6:00 pm on December 2nd, 2009
Hi Mike,
Obviously I don’t know the full story, but if the guy is family, isn’t there anything you can do for him? Can he sleep on your floor even? Or does he have this option but he choses not to (dignity perhaps)?
6:00 pm on December 2nd, 2009
Perhaps the reason is complex and long-winded and difficult to explain, but I would like to understand what happens in the mind and what forms the motivation for homelessness by choice. Hope I’m not being ignorant or naive.
6:27 pm on December 2nd, 2009
@zenbullets unfortunately not. the strange thing is he could, today, choose to move in to the place that is waiting for him, yet he chooses not too.
I don’t think it’s a dignity thing, and he is still very much on the ball. the answer is we dont fully understand his reasons why and dont push him on this…
6:28 pm on December 2nd, 2009
@nick not al all, it’s a very valid question. I’m certain that at some point this must have been asked of him by support workers etc